Drinks

Lemon, ginger and green iced tea recipe

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Iced tea is a refreshing favourite for the warmer months, and our recipe here won’t disappoint. With lemon, ginger and a handful of mint, it certainly adds a refreshing twist to an old favourite.

We use green tea in this recipe, and for good reason. Researchers say that regularly drinking green tea can help to increase the amount of Bifidobacterium in our gut microbiome. These helpful microbes play a role in digestion and also work to stave off harmful bacteria.

Plus, there’s evidence that tea can help us to ward off depression in the long term, too.

A meta-analysis investigating the links between levels of tea drinking and depression found interesting results. Populations who drink three or more cups of tea a day may decrease their risk of depression by 37%.

While this study didn’t investigate which specific types of tea may have the biggest effect, further research by scientists in China concluded that the constituents found in all major tea types – including polyphenols and the amino acid L-theanine – work together to reduce the likelihood that a person will become depressed.

Serve our iced tea recipe at your next family picnic or barbecue – it’s sure to help lift the mood and go down a treat!

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Ingredients

  • 1 and 1/2 litres water
  • 4cm thumb of ginger, peeled and finely sliced
  • 4-6 tbsp loose-leaf green tea, or 4-6 green tea bags (paper tags removed), depending on preferred strength of the tea
  • Small handful of fresh mint leaves, plus another pinch of mint leaves to serve
  • 1-2 tbsp honey, to taste
  • 2 lemons, 1 juiced, the other in slices to serve
  • Ice

Method

  1. Add the water and ginger to a large pan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, remove the pan from the heat and add the green tea and mint leaves. Leave to steep for about 15 minutes.
  2. Strain the liquid into a large heatproof jug. Add the honey and lemon juice to the liquid, adjusting to your taste.
  3. Allow to cool to room temperature before putting into the fridge to cool completely.
  4. Serve with slices of lemon, a pinch of fresh mint leaves and plenty of ice.